Posted by Scott L. Schofield on February 1, 2000, at 10:19:43
In reply to Re: followup to Noa & Scott, posted by Kim on January 31, 2000, at 1:25:11
> What is "REM rebound"? I'm on Parnate, but will probably be trying Marplan soon. I've been having sleep problems and wonder if they're related.
That’s a real good question. Don’t know.
Parnate is known to cause insomnia and perhaps other sleep disturbances. These side-effects can abate with time, but often they must be dealt with. Benzodiazepine sleeping medications can be used, but many doctors now use trazodone (Desyrel), a drug originally developed as an antidepressant that is very sedating.
As far as “REM rebound” is concerned, this is a phenomenon seen when discontinuing some antidepressants, especially MAO-inhibitors. These drugs tend to suppress the REM stage of sleep, the one normally associated with dreaming. The “downward” force exerted by the drug is fought by the brain as an “upward” pressure. When the drug is discontinued, the extra REM pressure springs upwards without restraint – it rebounds. The REM stage overshoots, leading to increased time spent in REM sleep, and more vivid dreams. Some people even experience a sort of wakeful dreaming as they begin to fall asleep.
- Scott
poster:Scott L. Schofield
thread:19787
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000128/msgs/20303.html